Process for preparing tetrafluoroethylene oxides by ultraviolet irradiation



July 9. 1968 F. @0220 T AL 3,392,097

PROCESS FOR PREPARING TETRAFLUOROETHYLENE OXIDES BY ULTRAVIOLET IRRADIAT ION 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 23, 1964 AGENT,

July 9. 1968 50220 ET AL 3,392,097

PROCESS FOR PREPARING TETRAFLUOROETHYLENE OXIDES BY ULTRAVIOLET IRRADIATION Filed Dec. 23, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet f.

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PROCESS FOR PREPARING TETRAFLUOROETHYLENE OXIDES BY ULTRAVIOLET IRRADIATION Filed Dec. 23. 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. 3

FREQUENCY (CM 7 WAVELENGTH MICRONS Franco Gozzo Giorgio Carraro INVENTORS.

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PROCESS FOR PREPARING TETRAFLUOROETHYLENE OXIDES BY ULTRAVIOLET IRRADIATION Filed Dec. 23, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

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FREQUENCY (CM 7 WAVELENGTH MICRONS Franco Gozzo Giorgio Carr-arc N INVENTORS.

g a e a (.LNHQEBd HDNVllINSNVBl United States Patent 3,392,097 PROCESS FOR PREPARING TETRAFLUO- ROETHYLENE OXIDES BY ULTRAVIG- LET IRRADIATIGN Franco Gozzo and Giorgio Carraro, Saronno-Varese, Italy, assignors to Montecatini Edison, S.p.A., Milan, Italy Filed Dec. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 420,718 Claims priority, application Italy, Jan. 2, 1964,

565 4 Claims. (C1,. ze a-159.22

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLDSURE The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of organic fluorine derivatives; more particularly, it is directed to a process for preparing organic fluorine compounds containing oxygen.

An object of this invention is to provide a process for preparing new organic fiuorinated products containing oxygen.

A'further object of this invention is that of obtaining organic fluorinated products containing oxygen with an improved process.

According to the process of this invention, tetrafiuoroethylene and oxygen are reacted with each other in gaseous phase, in the presence of ultraviolet radiation, at a temperature between 30 C. and +150 C. and at pressures below 2 ata. (i.e. atmospheres absolute).

Using this process, a reaction mixture is obtained which, at room temperature and at atmospheric pressure, is composed of gaseous, liquid and solid products.

The gaseous products that are separated from the reaction mixture by means of known methods are found to consist essentially of carbonyl fluoride (C01 perfiuorocyclopropane (CF carbon dioxide and a new product to which, from consideration of its chemical and chemicalphysical behavior, may be assigned the formula of tetrafiuoroethylene oxide or epoxy also confirmed by mass-spectral analysis.

The tetrafiuoroethylene oxide or epoxide, which is contained in the gaseous fraction of the raw reaction product, may be conveniently isolated by first letting the acid components contained in the gaseous fraction be absorbed by oxides of alkaline-earth metals, then subjecting the residual gas to condensation and subsequent fractional distillation, and finally collecting the fraction which has its boiling point around 64 C. at atmospheric pressure.

At the elemental analysis the tetrafiuoroethylene epoxy shows the following average composition: C:20.6%, F: 64.8%.

Its molecular weight, as determined by diffusion methods with the mass spectrometer, turns out to be 116.

It is slowly hydrolyzed by water forming hydrofluoric and oxalic acid in a molar ratio of 4: 1; it does not liberate iodine from an aqueous acidic solution of potassium iodide.

The infrared spectrum (see FIG. 1) shows the following 3,392,097 Fatented July 9, 1968 main absorption bands (in cum- 1285; 1163; 1129; 791; 694.

In working with the process of this invention, besides the above-mentioned gaseous products, there also are formed products that at atmospheric pressure and at room temperature are liquid.

These liquids, separated from the reaction mixture by conventional techniques have a density around 1.79 with a refraction index between 1.28 and 1.29.

The liquids are miscible with various fiuorinated solvents.

The elemental analysis has shown that they contain only carbon, fluorine and oxygen in slightly variable percentages depending on the ratio at which tetrafluoroethylene and oxygen are made to react.

When a tetrafiuoroethylene-oxygen mixture is used in a molar ratio of 2: 1, a liquid reaction product is obtained from whose elemental analysis it is possible to derive the following empirical formula:

The quantity of peroxidic oxygen contained in such products, measurable from the iodine freed through heat treatment with an acid solution of potassium iodide or hydroiodic acid in acetic acid, is a very small fraction of the oxygen present and is independent of the ratio at which the reacting gases are fed into the reactor.

The infrared spectrum of these liquid products shows a wide and intense absorption band in the range from 1000 GEL-1 to 1400 CHL' with two main peaks at 1035 cm.* and 1225 cm.- besides a weaker band at 1885 cm. attributable to CF COF groups,

Some processes of separation carried out on those liquid products have proved that they are formed of mixtures of compounds of various molecular weights, whose means value generally exceeds 1000.

Such liquid raw products are subjected to a treatment with substances of a basic nature whereby the separation of the neutral components from those of an acid nature is possible.

In fact it has been found that by treating the raw reaction liquids with alkaline solutions, it is possible to achieve a separation of the neutral products from the relatively acidic products; only these latter give rise to water-soluble salts.

From the alkaline solutions it is then possible, by acidification with mineral acids and by extraction with solvents, followed by distillation, to recover the liquid products of acidic nature.

An infrared spectrum of such products is represented in FIG. 2. In that spectrum the absorption band at 1795 cm. evidences the presence of -CF -COOH groups.

The part of raw liquid which is of a neutral character remains stable at temperatures up to nearly 200 C.; at temperatures greater than this the neutral liquid decomposes, thereby developing COF and CF O-CF The neutral raw liquid shows an elemental composition from which can be deduced the aforestated empirical formula: [CF O] Analysis by gas chromatography showed the presence of numerous compounds, whose average molecular weight, determined in a hexatluorobenzene solution at 37 C., proved to be greater than 1000.

The infrared spectrum of the raw liquid (see FIG. 3) differs from that of the liquids of acidic nature (see FIG. 2) essentially in that there is a substantial absence of the characteristic band of the --CF COOH groups.

An analysis by mass spectrometer shows the following ionic species to prevail: COF (IF-3+, C F O C F 2 5 s s z 3 1 3 7 2 ca s The percentage of peroxidic oxygen, as determined from the quantity of iodine developed through treatment with an aqueous acid solution of potassium iodide heated to boiling is formed, to be less'than one part by Weight in a hundred parts of liquid.

From various studies undertaken on these liquid prod- 4 Thus, for instance, when operating with an'ultr'aviolet radiation source capable of delivering a luminous energy at 2537 A., at 25 m th/cm. of radiating'surface," the flow-speed of the reacting mixture calculated at C; and

ucts (raw reaction liquid, fractions of neutral and of 5 under atmospheric press'ure'is such that the exposure time ac dic nature), it was possible to formulate a hypothesis should range between 8 and '60 minutes. on their constitution. The following examples aregiven for a betterillustra- In fact, considering their emperical formula, the small tion of theprocess of this invention. percentage of peroxidic oxygen present in them, and the substantial absence of oxalic acid among the products EXAMPLEI both of alkaline hydrolysis and of hydrolysis in a reduc- The equipment used consists of a i mx ong ve tic ing medium, it is possible to assume a basic structure, cylindrical reactor with an internal diameter of 3.1 cm. apart from theend groups, consisting of a head-tail sucwherein there is a mercury-vapor quartz lamp of the cession of units of the formula CF O(poly oxyperlow-pressure type, marketed under the trademark *"Acfluoromethylenes). tinozon and produced by Helios Ray of MilanrSaid iner- These structures, which are found in the products o'bcury lamp 'is' also of a cylindrical shape and is -arran'g'd tained through the process according to this invention in along the'midaxis of the reactor of which'it occup es althe form of carboxylic acids and of neutral products, are most the Whole length. new as they had never been described so far either in the Theannular irradiated space which can be' occupied by technical or in the scientific literature. the reacting gases amounts to about 150 cc. Compounds having these structures may be profitably The temperature of the reactor is maintained at the esused in various fields of application as solvents, emulsita'blished values by' means of externallycirculating oil, fiers, surfactants and intermediates. heated separately, which also feeds the gas-preheatera't In the process of this invention, besides gaseous and the inlet. Y liquid products, solid products are also formed. These The lower or bottom end of the reactor is shaped into products may be separated from the liquid fraction, by a funnel and is connected through a short inclined pipe extraction with perfluorinated solvents. to a collecting bin for the discharged high-boiling liqui'd FIG. 4 exemplifies the spectrum of a product after exand solid products; traction with solvents. A side pipe, entering into the reactor at the "level of Such a spectrum differs from the characteristic specthe lower end of the mercury lamp, allows the discharge trum of the polytetrafiuoroethylene by the presence of the of the gaseous reaction products. absorption band at 1040 cm.' These latter, after having traversed a calcium oxide In the efiec-tuation of this invention, the ultraviolet tower, are collected in a dry gasometer which measures radiations which have proved to be the most suited are their volume and from which, at the end of each test, a those of wavelengths between 1800 A. (angstrom units) sample is drawn for a chromatographic gas analysis. and 3000 A.; such as for instance those wavelengths In the following Table I are recorded all conditions which are emitted by a low-pressure mercury-vapor lamp, at whichthe above-described method is carried out as hydrogen-gas lamp, xenon-gas lamp, etc. well as the results obtained.

TABLE I Reacting gas Pressure in Flow speed Molar ratio Conversion of Gr. 01 product per 100 gr. ofjconverted C2F4 tempeature mm. Hg cc./h. zFtgO 02F; I Percent p Solid Liquid raw canto, Cycle CsFa +25 805 422 21 59.1 22 28 2.3. +85 811 412 211 66 9. 3 O) 40 6. 1 +60 837 597 1=s=1 56.8 30.2 52 2 -20 765 387 111 25.4 16.2 25 +40 831 420 1:1 64. 3 32. 1 35 s +40 833 303 1:1 90. 2 43 1e +60 822 600 112 73 30 33 7 3 1 Traces.

The molar ratio at which tetrafiuor-oethylene and oxygen are made to react, according to the process of this invention, varies between 4:1 and 0.25:1. Within that range the preferred molar ratio is chosen according to the product obtainable Whose yield should be at a maximum.

The temperature at which the process of this invention is carried out does not seem to be critical; as a matv ter of fact satisfactory results are obtained by operating in the range of temperatures lying between -30 C. and +150 C. However, the preferred temperatures for the purposes of this invention are between +20 C. and +85 C.

The exposure time of the mixture of reacting gases to ultraviolet radiation, which is determined by the flow velocity of the mixture in the zone exposed to the ultraviolet radiation, also may vary within a wide time in-.

terval.

It was also found that when modifying the composi tion of the reacting mixture and by varying its temperature or, above all, varying the intensity and distribution spectral characteristics of the ultraviolet radiation used it is desirable, for the purpose of a satisfactory operation of the process of this invention, to modify the exposure time accordingly.

+ For the infrared spectrum: see FIG. ,1. 1.35 grams of liquid raw product, obtained under the conditions oftest No. 7 and containing 18% C and 52% vF. is treated in a nitrogen atmosphere, with 20 cc. of glacial acetic acid and 1 cc. of H]. After heating the mixture with stirring for-'1 hour the same is diluted with 100 cc. of defiltration from the solid residue, was titrated using 310- equivalent of potassiumpermanganate EXAMPLE 2 j v V V A mixture of C F andO in a molar rati o, of 2:1 at

. :a pressure of 820 mm. Hg and at a temperatu're of 50 C. was. fed at a flow rate of 4N lt./hr'.. .into ariapparatus similar to that described in Example-Lin which'the-ultraviolet radiation source was a Westinghouse type G36T6H lamp having an absorbed power of 17 watts and a specific luminous intensity at 2537 A. of 25 mw./ch1

After 8 hrs. of processing, 13 grams of liquid product were collected, which had a refraction index of n-l.288 and density Elemental analysis gave the following data: C=l8.7% or 18. 8% or 1 8.9%; F=57.2% or 58%.

The gaseous products, which had formed at the same time, were freed of the COF and CO components through treatment with calcium oxide and barium oxide and then condensed and distilled. V

18 grams of tetrafluoroethylene epoxy is thus obtained which, at ambient pressure, are distilled at 64.5 C. Furthermore, 50 grams of unreacted tetrafiuoroethylene is recovered.

EXAMPLE 3 grams of raw liquid, obtained as described in Example 2, is treated with 100 cc. of a boiling NaOH 3 N solution so as to distill the neutral volatile components in a vapor stream.

After a few hours of such a treatment, during which distilled water is added to the boiling mixture in successive stages, an organic liquid not miscible with the aqueous layer is gathered in the distillate. This liquid, after anhydration, weighs 4 grams and, upon elementary analysis, yields the following data: C: 17.3%, F=57.8%.

The liquid has an average molecular weight of 1070, a refraction index of n:1.281 and, with infrared spectrometry, a spectrum equal to that recorded on FIG. 3.

The alkaline mixture left in the boiler, after cooling, is extracted with ethyl ether.

The ethereal extract, after anhydration and elimination of the solvent, yields 4.5 grams of an organic oxyfluorinated residue, partly liquid and partly solid.

The average molecular weight of the liquid part of this extract amounts to about 1,200.

The alkaline solution remaining after extraction with ether is then acidified with concentrated hydrochloric acid and subsequently extracted with ether.

After separation of the ethereal extract, anhydration and elimination of the solvent, 2 grams of an oxyfluorinated product are obtained which is of an acidic nature and is partly solid and partly liquid.

Elementary analysis of the liquid part of this product gave the following results: C=20%, F=52.9%. Such a substance possesses an infrared spectrum shown in FIG. 2,.

6 EXAMPLE 4 3.7 grams of solid product, obtained under the same conditions as prevailing in Test 2 of Example 1, were extracted in a Kumagawa-type extractor with cc. of perfluoromethylcyclohexane. Thereby 2.3 gr. of solid polymer residue, showing the infrared spectrum of FIG. 4, was obtained.

We claim:

1. A process for oxyperfiuoromethylene polymers, comprising the steps of passing a reaction mixture of tetrafluoroethylene and oxygen in a molar ratio between 4:1 and 02511 through a reaction zone subjected to ultraviolet irradiation at a wavelength of 1800 A. to 3000 A., at a temperature between 30 and +150 C., and at a pressure up to 2 atmospheres absolute, for a reaction time suflicient to produce a product mixture including condensable components, separating said condensable components into an acidic and a neutral fraction; and isolating said neutral fraction with recovery of a compound whose empirical formula includes a repetitive group CF O.

2. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said molar ratio is substantially 2:1.

3. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said mixture is irradiated for a period of 8 to '60 minutes with 25 mw. of luminous energy per cm. of radiating surface as measured at 2537 A.

4. The process defined in claim 1 wherein said temperature is between 20 C. and C. and the wavelength of the ultraviolet radiation is about 1849 A.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,242,218 3/1966 Miller 260--614 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,322,597 2/1963 France.

OTHER REFERENCES Caglioti et al.: Oxidation of Tetrafiuoroethylene by Molecular Oxygen, Journal Chem. Soc. (London), December 1964, pp. 5430-5433.

MURRAY TILLMAN, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL H. BLECH, Examiner.

R. B. TURNER, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent N0. 3,392,097 July 9, 1968 Franco 60220 et a1.

It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 18, "presence" should read pressure line 21, after "acidic" insert a comma.

Signed and sealed this 6th day of January 1970.

(SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Edward M. F letcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents A ttesting Officer 

